30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
Roe Messner, a Prolific Church Builder and Husband of Tammy Faye Bakker, Dies at 89
In the 1980s, the televangelist Jim Bakker was riding a sensational wave of fame, religious fervor and cash, bringing in more than $100 million in revenue annually as the founder and face, along with his wife Tammy Faye, of 'The PTL Club' television show and PTL Satellite Network.
As Bakker's ministry grew, his dreams got more grandiose, culminating in the construction of a theme park called Heritage USA—a kind of sprawling Christian Disneyland outside Charlotte, N.C., featuring a luxury hotel, shopping district and water park. ('We're the first Christians to ever have a wave pool!' Bakker exclaimed.) To bring that dream to life, he enlisted Roe Messner, a church builder with a sterling reputation for getting things done.
